Archive for the ‘steel machining’ tag

Steel fabrication is a complicated process. There are different types of steel alloys that are described in the market and they’re different in composition and nature. Therefore, when you’re talking about the steel fabrication, you’re actually thinking about a range of options. Often, the austenitic stainless steel is regarded as the best option because it has the higher work harden rate and therefore, it can be really useful. Also, this alloy has less sulphur and other non metallic elements that thereby, this is ideal option to be employed in the corrosive atmosphere.

However, one of the problems associated with the austenitic steel is that it isn’t suitable for machines. Well, there are free machine versions of this alloy available in the market. But, there are some problems with these versions. First of all, these versions have higher amount of sulphur in them. Therefore, they just become more corrosive. Also, the high amount of sulphur makes these versions difficult to be used in tight radius situations.

So, what does that mean?

Anyways, a welcome alternative has come out of late. This is called the improved machinability. The version includes the 304 and 316 Grades. The good thing with this version is that it’s manufactured by proprietary steel melting technologies. There is enough chip breaking features that improve the machinability of the steel considerably, as a result. At the same time, they retain the good qualifications of the austenitic steel. Therefore, you can still weld these alloys, and they’re considerably corrosion resistant. This version is initiated in the market with different names. However, they have 20% better machine speed which is still a considerable improvement.

The next important point is the difficulty of machining the alloy. Generally, the austenitic stainless steel is a problem for the majority of operators. In fact, the difficulty of using machine on this type has given rise to the grade 303 which is a free machine version. Well, there are plenty of similar options for the martensitic and Ferritic steels as well. In most of the cases, these machine free versions include manganese sulphide. They act as the chip breakers and thereby improve the outcome of using machines on them.

However, one must note in this respect, that the free machine grades have low corrosion resistance when in relation to the other versions. This is because these versions include non metallic elements in them and therefore, these alloys should never be used in corrosive environment like marine exposure. Also, the free machine grades have high level of sulphur that reduces the ductility of the alloy. So, you cannot bend them around a tight radius. They also become very difficult to weld. So, they shouldn’t be chosen for welded fabrication as well.

Anyways, machining the stainless steel is very important in the case of achieving the type of effect that you want to include in your fabrication. So, there are several techniques that the professionals must follow to make sure that the machining produces something strong, useful and aesthetically pleasing. For that, they generally follow a number of the rules.

CNC Machine shop: The CNC milling department has state of the art technology. It can machine any machinable material like stainless steel, carbon steels, alloy steels, delrin, G10, polycarbonate and nylon, ABS, and the likes. CNC machining uses only the best software program and high-end equipment.

The most important factor which they are required to check out is that the means that they’re using is firm and in working condition. They shouldn’t create vibration and the tip of the machine should be sharp. The operators is required to ensure that the blades are sharpened as soon as the sign of blunt edges are identified. Grinded wheels too, should be carefully maintained. Ideally, the professionals should use large tools as that will dissipate the heat. The tool shouldn’t keep on rubbing the work and constant feeds must be provided.